


Break

by Naddy



Category: Pacific Rim (2013)
Genre: Accidents, Apologies, Canes, Fluff, Gift Giving, M/M, Mild Language, Mistakes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-10-13
Updated: 2013-10-13
Packaged: 2017-12-29 06:51:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,510
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1002270
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Naddy/pseuds/Naddy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Newton accidentally makes a mistake that leaves Hermann decidedly less than pleased. He tries to make it up to his boyfriend.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Break

**Author's Note:**

> Well guys, its been a long time since I've written fic. Lets try and get back on the horse, shall we?

Trying to hold a series of sixteen piecewise functions in his head, Hermann stormed out of his study and into his boyfriend’s kaiju blood encrusted lab space. His scowl was fiercer than ever, and his cane made an angry, yet satisfying clack as he swept through their shared space like a hurricane. Hermann drew in a deep breath and bellowed.  
“Where is my small rolling chalkboard?! Newton, I had some very important data on there, and I need to add some more onto it before I forget it and doom us all to becoming snacks for large amphibious monsters!” Hermann declared, catching sigh of Newton when the younger man emerged from behind a pile of discolored bone, tooth, and claw samples. The younger scientist blinked and looked up at Hermann’s sudden shouting arrival, and looked towards the back of his lab space while plugging in a wicked looking power saw.

“It’s in the back over there, I think. Somewhere. Pretty sure. I had to borrow it earlier today to illustrate a point to some tech or intern or something that came in. Sorry I forgot to bring it back. It seemed pretty important to use at the time…” Newton trailed off, pulling out a safety mask and goggles from a cabinet before returning to the bone samples and shifting them around. 

Hermann saw an edge of the chalkboard in the back and slammed his cane down triumphantly on the table before moving to the chalkboard, furiously grabbing a piece of chalk off the bottom rack. With a roll of his eyes, he erased the child-like figurines of kaiju eating cars and began to scribble away. He didn’t pay attention to the oppressively loud whir of Newton and his saw behind him. At the moment, Hermann was only concerned with the functions currently blossoming from his brain onto the smooth chalkboard in front of him.

About the time he had finished writing the functions down, Hermann heard the power saw stop and power down behind him, and heard Newt suck in a breath of air and let it out in a soft curse and apology.

“Oh fuck. Hermann, I am so sorry, I didn’t see it there until after I got through the phalange.”

“Didn’t see what?” Hermann turned slowly from his chalkboard, expecting to see red blood mixing with the blue blood and removed fingers flopping on the floor. What he saw instead was just as disheartening, if a little less messy. 

His poor cane, left on the table in a fit of math induced mind lapse, was now sawed in two with kaiju marrow splattered up and down its length. Hermann blinked and stared, speechless and shocked. Slowly, however, his slack expression hardened into a cold glare and hurt scowl.

“I just didn’t see it, Hermann. It was behind the bone and I kept cutting. I’m sure we can find you a new one though. Something real nice and less grandmother looking, yeah?”

Hermann ignored Newton, and gently set his piece of chalk down back on the chalkboard’s small tray.

“Or maybe we could fix it. I mean, look at the mechanics who work on the Jaegers. I swear they can fix almost anything with an arc welder and duct tape. Maybe we can get them to help us patch it back together. Hermann? Hermann are you listening to me? C’mon, I’m sorry. You know I didn’t mean to do it.” The rest of Newton’s babbles trailed off into silence as Hermann stopped listening to them.

In a rush of angry disappointment and frustration, Hermann silently limped over to the pieces of his poor cane, avoiding the globs of marrow as he took one last look at the pieces that had served him so well, then chucked it in the biohazard bin as he angrily limped out, leaving his equations and Newton behind.

He missed the guilty looks from Newton that were aimed at his retreating back and the biohazard bin. 

.........................................................................................................................................................................

The replacement cane he got on short notice was utter crap. The length wasn’t quite right, but trying to adjust the height just made things worse. The grip was uncomfortably hard foam, and it made a not very satisfying, tinny noise as struck the ground. It was hard to look or feel intimidating when using a cane that felt like it would be more at home in a child’s doctor play set.

Still, until he could get off base and get another quality custom cane designed and ordered, much less delivered, this would have to do. Hermann would just scowl and bear it, which was becoming increasingly difficult, as he found one morning while working in his study on functions utilized to analyze the slight variations in breach behavior.

His mind flew faster than his hands could cope with, and so he rotated the cane in his hand quickly, nearly losing his grip because of the lighter weight. Hermann quickly shot his arm out to the side, aiming to hook the edge of the chalkboard and slide to a clean slate, but was not successful. The unfamiliar grip did not hook on the edge, and the slick aluminum cane fell from his hand with a clatter. 

Swearing in German, Hermann stooped over to fetch his cane from the ground. He did not notice Newt as he passed by and stopped in the doorway to watch him deal with this shoddy cane, then hurried out of sight once more.

.........................................................................................................................................................................

Hermann was distracted from his chalkboard, filled with equations, when he heard a knock. Turning behind him, he was met with a surprisingly clean and entrails free Newton grinning at him from the doorway of his study. All Hermann could do was sigh as his boyfriend rushed over enthusiastically, eyes lit up.

“Hermann, I got you a surprise present.” Newt grabbed his free hand and almost dragged him out of his study and across the lab to a table that had been hastily cleaned of kaiju entrails, where a light blue box wrapped in a gaudy dark blue ribbon was resting. Newton stopped at the edge of the table and beamed. 

“Open it up, Hermann.” He encouraged, almost vibrating with excitement.

Hermann set his aluminum cane on the sable with a sour look and a long sigh and pulled the blue box closer. It was long and thin, and Hermann couldn’t think of any kaiju parts which would easily fit in such a container. Judging by Newton’s excitement, the box almost certainly contained something kaiju related. It could be small samples or slides, or perhaps even a marrow sampling, he supposed, but he didn’t understand why Newt would give him those items when he was much more focused on the math.

“I hope you realize kaiju body parts aren’t acceptable courting gifts, Newton,” he said dryly, tugging the last of the dark blue ribbon free.

“It’s not kaiju parts Hermann, I swear. I actually think you’re really really REALLY gonna like it… so open it up!”

“Very well.”

Hermann very nearly gaped as he drew a cane out of the box. It almost perfectly matched his old one. The grip fit perfectly into his hand, and the length was spot on. The only difference appeared to be the type of wood, which felt slightly heavier, and just a shade darker. Overall, the cane was a very fine example of master craftsmanship. 

“How… Where did you get this made?”

“Well you know that my parents were musicians, right? Sometimes they would commission handmade instruments from one of their friends, who did all kinds of awesome woodworking and crafting and stuff. I fished the broken pieces of your cane out of the garbage and mailed them to him. He wasn’t able to put the pieces back together and make it feel the same, but he was able to replicate your cane and remake it out of a different kind of wood…” Newton trailed

He tested the cane, putting his weight on it carefully. The color was nice, the finish was nice, and the grip felt as good in his hand as his old one had. He kept his face neutral and used the cane to circle the table, listening to the thud of the cane on the floor. The noise it made was a different tone than his last one, but Hermann found it just as satisfying. 

“It appears Newton, that you have done something very good for once.” Slowly, Hermann allowed a satisfied grin to creep onto his face. “However, if you wreck this cane, you won’t be hearing the end of it, do you understand me? Check where you’re sawing. Next time you might end up sawing through a power cable instead of my cane, and who knows the kind of mess that would make.”

“I’ll be more careful, Hermann, I promise.” Newt nodded and grinned even wider as he watched Hermann move towards the exit.

“Good. Now get that abominable aluminum toothpick out of here. I never want to see that pathetic excuse for a cane in here again.”


End file.
